Los Angeles and the Palos Verde Peninsula

The Los Angeles area is one of our favorite places.
Mlada and I met at Los Angeles Opera while she was
understudying Nabucco in 2002 and we later married in
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA in April 2003. I finished my
Masters in Voice Performance at the University of
Southern California in 2002 and Mlada had a triumphant
success singing Senta in The Flying Dutchman at Los
Angeles Opera in April 2003. Mlada loves to shop in LA
and the South Bay area. I joke that Mlada spent her
entire fee from Los Angeles Opera on shoes and bags at
Saks Fifth Avenue. Shoes and bags. Always shoes and
bags.
We were invited to do a benefit concert at the Norris
Theatre Pavilion in Rolling Hills by my godparents
Arline and Richard Grotz, who wanted to raise money
for two local charities. Mlada already had many fans
on the Peninsula and in Los Angeles from her successes
at LA Opera and concerts performed around the
peninsula. I had some fans from USC and the
Peninsula, so the Grotz's suggested that we do a
concert. We called our friend Anastasia Nemirovich,
who is beginning her Master's at USC this fall to
accompany us with piano. We rehearsed only the night
before the concert with Anastasia, but pulled together
a very successful concert.
Arline and Dick Grotz are two of our most favorite
people. They have been so generous and supportive of
our careers. We could never thank them enough.
Performing the concert on August 20th at the Morris
Theatre Pavilion was our gift to them. The concert
was a huge success, raising over $10,000 for the
Norris Theatre and the Costume Closet. We hope that
we can raise more money for other non-profit
organizations in the future. Singing is the most
giving of art forms and it was great pleasure to sing
for two wonderful charities, Arline and Dick and all
of our friends and fans on the Peninsula.
We also found time to visit with Mlada's colleague
Luba Petrova who is singing Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf
Naxos at LA Opera. Luba and Mlada, both Muscovites,
enjoyed swapping stories about old friends and
colleagues. Luba is a delightful person and a
wonderful talent. She is student of Trish McCaffrey,
whom Mlada and I both consult with. We wish Luba the
greatest success in Los Angeles and later on in Paris.
Best Wishes from,
Mlada and Peter

Updates: Please check Mlada's schedule for new dates
and operas. Mlada will sing her first Manon Lescaut
at the New Telaviv Opera in February 2006. Maestro
Lawrence Foster has invited Mlada for Salome in
Lisbon, April 2006. Also, Mlada's agent is currently
in negotiations with La Scala for two different
operas. La Scala has asked Mlada to sing Hindemith's
Santa Susanna conducted by Maestro Riccardo Muti and
Tchaikovsy's Pique Dame, with Maestro Timerkanoff.
Please check back with the website for updates on
these new contracts. Also, a tentative offer was been
made to the Mariinsky Theatre for two performances of
The Flying Dutchman in Italy with Maestro Gergiev and
Mlada as Senta, July 2005. This weekend Mlada will be
in Hamburg, Germany auditioning for Maestro Simone
Young.